Chapter 3 – A Girl’s Memory

–Memories. Clare had memories of someone who was not her.

A planet called Earth. A country called Japan. Memories of someone who lived there. The concepts of reincarnation and transmigration were also in her memories, so she easily accepted memories that were completely unrelated to her current situation, thinking that such things could happen.

It appears that her previous self was a puppeteer or puppeteer. I think it’s a rare job even in Japan. It’s a job where you perform your art for people, so it’s difficult to become a puppeteer and not very profitable.

Despite knowing that, the reason she decided to make it her job started when she was hospitalized with a serious illness as a child. She was fascinated by the performance of a female puppeteer who came to entertain the hospitalized patients.

The girl, who had been hospitalized for long periods since she was a child, had no friends. She was shy and quiet, lacking confidence in her weak body. She didn’t have many hobbies, and it seemed like she only held on to the doll her grandmother had given her so that she wouldn’t feel lonely while in the hospital. That was her childhood.

That must be why she was so fascinated by the puppeteer’s puppeteer. The puppets talked to the puppeteer, singing, dancing, acting silly, and moving so lively. It was as if they were ventriloquizing. It was as if the puppets had become her friends, and it was such a shock to the girl that her gray world seemed to take on color.

Before she knew it, she had gone over to the puppeteer after the performance, asking him how she could become a puppeteer, saying how much fun it would be to be able to manipulate puppets so well.

The puppeteer didn’t treat the child who asked her questions badly, but answered kindly and even taught her how to manipulate the puppets. She remembers vividly how happy she was when he praised her for being good at it for a first timer.

They made a personal connection, became friends despite being older than each other, and he sent her a puppet for beginners as a birthday present. They then became master and disciple.

That relationship continued even after he grew older and got stronger, and when he heard that if he really wanted to become a puppeteer, he should join a theater company, he had just about made up his mind about what to do with his future.

His parents were against it. That’s true. Their opinion that he couldn’t make a living just by showing his skills to others was a valid one.

But he overcame their opposition and trained in puppetry while working part-time. After that, he officially joined a theater company and performed on stage with his teacher. He was also invited to work with his teacher in hotel shows and events.

It wasn’t a big theater company, so he had to work a side job and was busy, but I think it was a fulfilling life as a puppeteer.

In his private life, he would buy puppet bodies and make custom ones by hand, and although he was immersed in puppetry from morning to night, it was a very fun life.

But those days were put on hold by none other than the person involved in the management of the theater company.

He embezzled funds that were meant to be paid to the theater to be rented for the performance, and the salaries to be paid to the troupe’s members, disappearing, causing a big fuss… and the troupe was forced to cease operations.

It was sad to see a trusted friend commit such an incident, but if that was enough to make him give up on his path, he would never have chosen such a thorny path in the first place.

Above all, he continued to puppeteer despite the difficulties because he enjoyed it. He was shy and not good at talking, and even though he couldn’t speak well in front of people, he could still puppeteer without speaking. With ventriloquism and the dialogue, he was able to act the way he wanted.

He continued working as a puppeteer while performing street shows and streaming videos with his own puppets – and continued.

Perhaps it was because he was too overworked, or perhaps it was because he was originally weak. One day, he felt a tightness in his chest and collapsed. He worried about whether the puppet lying on the floor was broken or dirty, but he lost consciousness there.

The story continues with his memories of Clare. She had accepted that she would probably have died just like that.

It’s a pity… I suppose.

While doing her morning chores, such as cleaning the livestock shed and tending to the fields, Clare recalled scenes from the past that suddenly came to her mind.

She wanted to thank her puppeteer teacher in her own words, not through ventriloquism. She had become estranged from her parents because they disagreed about their future career paths, and she couldn’t find the words to express them well, but she wanted to make up with them. Her grandmother, who was so kind to her. The people who supported her as a puppeteer. There were even things she wanted to say to the listeners who came to watch her streams.

But right now, she doesn’t feel that sad or regretful or any other strong emotions.

It’s partly because she’s been reborn as the person she is now, and time has passed, so she’s sorted out her emotions, and there’s no way she could go back, but it’s because she did what she wanted to do, and this is the result. She has no regrets. It was the path she had originally decided to take.

As for now, Rona allows me to manipulate puppets, and it’s fun, but it doesn’t seem like I’m in a sweet environment or situation where I can do that all the time.

The place where I live now is right in the middle of a dangerous area. If I see a monster bird flying in the sky far away wrapped in lightning, I feel a sense of danger.

So, if I live in the city, will I be safe? I understood that during my lectures with Rona.

It’s a world with royalty, nobles, and monsters. It’s not a peaceful world where human rights are guaranteed, and it’s not a world that runs like that.

More or less, I’ll need some means of self-defense. If I think about the future, I’ll need the ability to fight, not just self-defense.

Either way, it’s great to have a strong body. I’m also blessed with a teacher who teaches me skills and knowledge. Especially the fact that my teacher accepts me even after knowing that I have memories of my past life, even if I consider that this is a dangerous area, I could not have asked for a better environment in this world.

Rona had spoken to her when she was about to begin her magic training in earnest. She said she felt awkward about being called “Grandma,” and she also didn’t like being called by honorifics like “master” or “teacher,” so they settled on calling each other by their first names.

However, both the teacher and the student need to be prepared and discerning. That’s why Clare is prepared to do that when she receives magic instruction.

Moreover, Rona acknowledges her inner self, doesn’t treat her like a child, and in a sense treats her as an equal. When she told her that dolls make her feel calm and make it easier to communicate with her, she also bought a marionette for her in town. It was a cute girl’s doll that wouldn’t be improper in the hands of a girl her age.

Clare thought that Rona’s respect for her way of life was also a reflection of her own stance toward others, and was also reflected in her training policy of being able to live anywhere.

Fortunately, she was able to intuitively understand how to use magic. She was born with unique magic and was able to understand it instinctively, and for that reason, it was easy for her to sense something she didn’t have on Earth – magical power. Magic flows inside her body, but it’s also outside of her. It’s different from when she was living on Earth.

Animals and plants. Inorganic matter. Space. It resides and floats all over the place. She was able to interfere with and use the magical power outside of her with her own inner magic. According to Rona, it takes at least five or six years of learning magic to reach the point where she can sense and interfere with it, and normally, it takes ten years. She can instinctively understand how to use unique magic. That’s why they say she has a natural aptitude for magic, but Rona thought that she was exceptional.

And so, after finishing her morning work and returning to the hermitage, Rona said.

“Well, then, after breakfast today, I’ll take a short rest and then go to the Great Sea of Trees to gather medicinal herbs.”

“Outside…”

Clare was frozen for a moment at the unexpected words. Rona tapped the tip of her cane on the floor of the hut, and a wave of magical power spread instantly. It was a jamming technique that stripped away disguise and invisibility barriers.

Clare stepped on the stove, but she was able to withstand the wave while maintaining her disguise and invisibility barrier. Seeing that, Rona continued speaking.

“Hmmph. If you can block the current jamming technique, then for now, there’s no problem where we’re going tomorrow. However, from tomorrow, I’ll change the composition of the jamming technique again.”

“I understand.”

The girl doll Clare was holding in her arms–Clare secretly named Lily and called her–nodded. Rona’s jamming technique became stronger and changed type each time it was endured. It will also become more difficult to deal with them.

—It has been several years since Rona started giving basic training to Clare.

Leaving the hermitage to work in the Great Sea of Trees means that Rona has judged that Clare has acquired a certain level of proficiency in covert barriers and inhibition techniques, as well as self-defense techniques, and has also warned that she will leave once she has a clear goal.

In addition to basic training in magic, there is also intensive classroom training on how to walk in the Great Sea of Trees, knowledge of the monsters that appear, the distribution and identification of various materials including medicinal herbs, and the basics of alchemy.

Actually going outside the hermitage to start working is nothing more than practice, even if Rona accompanies her. If you die—well, even if your life is saved, you may suffer irreparable injuries. You can never be too prepared.

And… even if you can work in the Great Sea of Trees on your own, there is more to come.

It’s not necessarily true that the place outside the Great Sea of Trees is a comfortable place for Clare. If anything, Rona thinks that it’s just as dangerous as the Great Sea of Trees, when she thinks about the old swordsmen.

The villages and towns where people live. The situation and history of the surrounding countries. The way of thinking and nature of royalty, nobles, merchants, citizens, adventurers, etc.

The knowledge that is necessary to survive and the things that need to be taught are diverse, in addition to the Great Sea of Trees, magic, fortune-telling, and alchemy. Although Rona teaches these things in the form of general knowledge in classrooms, there are many parts that you won’t really understand unless you actually go to the villages and towns.

However, it is true that Rona enjoys training and educating them.

At first, it may have been a nuisance that the old swordsman forced upon her.

However, regardless of the circumstances, since she accepted it on her own judgment and with her own consent, it is a matter of Rona’s pride as a witch.

If Clare hadn’t been suited for this, and if it weren’t for the circumstances she was facing, she might have ended up being able to call herself a full-fledged witch.

But an unexpected gem had unexpectedly fallen into her hands. If she wasn’t excited about being able to polish it to her liking, Rona would decide that she didn’t have enough passion to be one of those aspiring to become a witch.

And so, when Rona announced that she was going to the Great Sea of Trees, she had judged that all the preparations she had made up to this point would be fine. However, Clare, who had been suddenly told to go out, seemed to find it sudden. Even though it didn’t show on her face, it was safe to say that she was nervous.

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